government

gov·ern·ment

noun, often attributive \ˈgə-vər(n)-mənt, -və-mənt; ˈgə-b^əm-ənt, -v^əm-\

Definition of GOVERNMENT

1

: the act or process of governing; specifically : authoritative direction or control

2

obsolete : moral conduct or behavior : discretion

3

a : the office, authority, or function of governing

b obsolete : the term during which a governing official holds office

4

: the continuous exercise of authority over and the performance of functions for a political unit : rule

5

a : the organization, machinery, or agency through which a political unit exercises authority and performs functions and which is usually classified according to the distribution of power within it

b : the complex of political institutions, laws, and customs through which the function of governing is carried out

6

: the body of persons that constitutes the governing authority of a political unit or organization: as

a : the officials comprising the governing body of a political unit and constituting the organization as an active agency

b capitalized : the executive branch of the United States federal government

c capitalized : a small group of persons holding simultaneously the principal political executive offices of a nation or other political unit and being responsible for the direction and supervision of public affairs: (1) : such a group in a parliamentary system constituted by the cabinet or by the ministry (2) : administration 4b

7

: political science

— gov·ern·men·tal \ˌgə-vər(n)-ˈmen-t^əl\ adjective

— gov·ern·men·tal·ize \-tə-ˌlīz\ transitive verb

— gov·ern·men·tal·ly \-t^əl-ē\ adverb

Examples of GOVERNMENT

1. The government has been slow to react to the crisis.
2. She works for the federal government.
3. We need to improve relations with foreign governments.
4. He is a firm believer in democratic government.
5. We learned about different methods of government.
6. The country has been damaged by many years of weak government.

First Known Use of GOVERNMENT

14th century

Related to GOVERNMENT

Synonyms

administration, authority, governance, rule, jurisdiction, regime (also régime), regimen

Related Words

reign; dominion, power, sovereignty (also sovranty), supremacy, sway; command, leadership; direction, management, regulation, superintendence, supervision; autocracy, dictatorship, domination, hegemony, mastery, oppression, subjugation, tyranny

Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

government

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Political system by which a body of people is administered and regulated. Different levels of government typically have different responsibilities. The level closest to those governed is local government. Regional governments comprise a grouping of individual communities. National governments nominally control all the territory within internationally recognized borders and have responsibilities not shared by their subnational counterparts. Most governments exercise executive, legislative (see legislature), and judicial (see judiciary) powers and split or combine them in various ways. Some also control the religious affairs of their people; others avoid any involvement with religion. Political forms at the national level determine the powers exercised at the subnational levels; these have included autocracy, democracy, fascism, monarchy, oligarchy, plutocracy (government by the wealthy), theocracy, and totalitarianism.